Huwebes, Mayo 9, 2013

A Fool for April

April

It’s been
more than a month since I posted on this blog, and if there are still any of my
handful of readers left out there, I’m sure they’ve been wondering, at least in
passing as to what has transpired during the past month or so.

The last
time I wrote here, I had just been rejected by a girl for whom I’ve carried a
torch for over the course of the past two years, more or less, an I was called
to return to active duty to the TV writing job I took a break from. The weeks
after that were busy. Not busier than normal, as I have been doing a million
things at once since I graduated college, but more of a focused busy... the
kind that prevents one from ranting away online. In fact, the only reason I’m
able to write now is this is one rare day off wherein I’m not bone tired and
catching up on sleep.

When I was
called back in to write for the TV show, I was really pumped, but a little suspicious
as to the reason why was being called back. This was especially true given the
fact that when they called me, they also immediately assigned me to write
sketches for the summer episode, a fairly huge deal for them. So, I did my
thing, got positive feedback, and went on with other aspects of my life,
thinking that it was still highly possible that they won’t be needing me after.

A day or
two later, I again received a call, and I was told that I was to attend the
shoot of the

There's something existential about a picture of a camera.

summer episode, which happened to in Bataan and would last for
three days. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but given that they’ve asked me
to join the shoot the day before the departure, all other aspects of my life
had to take a backseat. I laughed to myself after the call, as this was the
kind of thing that made me let go of all of my TV jobs in the past. But, since
I don’t have much of a personal life that the industry can destroy these days,
I didn’t mind. And, if I was coming back, I might as well come back in such a
very important time.

The whole
experience was quite the three days. I shared a van with two of the Ads and a
couple of crewmen. From right there, I knew how different things were run in a
huge network like that. I’m an indy guy, and I’ll always consider myself as
one, so a convoy of a cast and crew totaling up to the hundreds, production
trucks loaded with equipment, catering and the rest of the whole shebang was a
tad overwhelming for me. I was also riding with a dude literally named Dude,
who worked as an AD/PM and had a lot of great road stories. They were all
veterans, pros and some easily the best in the business, and to be a part of
all that, well, I can only imagine it was the same as when Duke was recruited
as part of the Joes, or when Wally West finally got bumped up to join the JLA.

While a
lot of people assumed that being a writer on the set was some form of vacation
for me, the three days were surprisingly tiring, even though I was just the guy
that was writing the jokes and wasn’t doing any of the heavy lifitng. (It was
another difference I had to deal with, since I’m used to be the one doing
everything behind the camera and at times in front of it.) There were some
light moments, like drinking with some members of the cast and crew during the after
shoot swimming.

One thing
that sticks out was being able to see how the guys from this popular sketch,
ADD, that has been running for more than a decade now do their thing. These
three guys are legends in the field, and seeing them workout an entire segment
moments before shooting it was just unbelievable. Geniuses, those three, and
the fact that it was one of them that asked me to come back is both an honor
and a shitload of pressure.

So that
happened, and once the shooting wrapped and we were back in Manila, I was back
into the comedy thing for real, attending the weekly brainstorming sessions
again and churning out scripts, and I’m happy. Last year, I think I took the
gig for granted, and I got burnt out easily, especially after that thing with the
client for the commercial spoof. But now, I’m good, and again I’m loving every
second of it.

Plus,
after a year of trying, I finally have a regular segment to my name. During one
of the meetings, the director turns to me and says that he has this image of an
annoying woman in his head, and he wanted me to write a sketch with that old
woman and call her “Aling Mary.” At first I was a little miffed at the thought,
since I can’t really do female characters very well, and then they started
talking about government offices and I decided to make the character a
government employee. She became an outlet for all my rants and complaints not
just about government offices but also the food service industry, drivers for
public transport and the general, annoying, incompetent population that I have
come to hate over the years. The actor playing the character is the show’s top
guy, and when I saw how he took to the character and he added certain nuances,
and well, let’s just say that the result was phenomenal. While this was an
amalgamation of the director’s vague idea, my anger, and the actor’s talent,
I’d like to think that I have made my own little mark there. I just hope the
audience learns to like the rude bitch.

All in
all, I’m happy and proud to be once again back with the gang.

The ‘Tank, the New Team, and Other
Related Shit.

Back in
the day job, things were sorta moving in a mostly interesting way. See, around
six months ago, me and a number of employees were placed on part time status. I
was ecstatic, considering my tendency to look for other jobs while being still
gainfully employed. The trade off was, of course, the lack of an actual team.
While I had a lot of fun during the days wherein I was a part of the Breakfast
Club, that eventually fizzled out, with some people leaving (not entirely on
good terms in at least one case), others moving on to other teams, and some who
just decided that maybe shoving their heads in their asses actually made them
cooler.

Team name: "Team We Sorta Work Here Too"

In the
past few weeks though, there has been some attempt to make the team somewhat of
a unit. A lot of things led up to this, but on my part, it was mostly because I
wanted to make someone who was undergoing problems I too have gone through in
the past be a bit happier. Nothing huge has happened, but the fact that the pat
timers are talking to each other and joking around is a good sign. I,
personally, am glad to be a part of something different within the Tank.

On a less
professional note, there’s this girl in the office, one that I’ve hung out with
once or twice, professed having feelings for me. Of course, I can’t
reciprocate, given the feelings that I still harbor for the girl who rejected
me a month ago. In some odd way, this girl’s confession made me feel stronger
about the adorbs one. Being put in the same situation she was in (the whole
rejecting someone at work thing) shortly after being rejected myself made me
admire how the adorbs one handled the whole thing. Just saying. One of these
days, I’ll wear her down.

Aside from
all that, life goes on in the Tank. With the exception of my team and a few
individuals, it’s still full of people who believe that they are hotter,
smarter, and more interesting than they actually are. It’s just one of the many
reasons I stay there for as long as I have: material.

The “Everything Else”.

I still
find time to hang out with the boys, thought it’s getting a bit old having to
wait for them to get things together. Though there was one promising night
wherein they actually went to Marbles, so that’s cool.

Everyone’s
mostly the same, and I actually met the Critic’s girlfriend. Finally. She was
alright. She looked normal. Didn’t have crazy eyes. The rest of the gang, like
I said, are the same. The Big Man, if all is to be believed, is playing things
straight and just doing his thing at work and shit. The younger guys are still
doing their thing, though I think Jonic’s been chasing skirts a lot.

Who laughs like that?

But then
again, that’s his business. The Scoobies are consistent, and I even hung out
with Hannah once. Everything’s good with the regular people in my life.

As for me,
what with all of the things going on, I am good. The only shitty thing in my
life right now is the whole unrequited love drama, but it’s bearable.
Everything else is working out. I’ve decided to not make another movie as of
yet, cause I really want to concentrate on the two major parts of my life right
now, and Hong Kong season is closing in. I’m having trouble with my usual
anxiety, mostly because I’ve made it a point to be online 24/7 once more, something
I’ve stopped doing since 2009, given the unpredictable needs of the TV show. It’s
made my life easier, but you know, being exposed to a sea of people like that
gets to you. Again, material for comedy.

So, to
recap, I’m writing comedy again, happy about it for the first time, enjoying my
stay at the Think Tank, but with only with one foot outside the door, still in
love, still friendzoned, still doesn’t matter, everyone’s okay still and due to
work, I’m no longer a hermit.